Pneumatic tires for motor vehicles are built in the green or uncured state and are subsequently cured or vulcanized by application of heat or pressure in a mold. The mold is contained in a press, which permits the application of pressure. The tire both before and after the curing is round, i.e. it is generally toroidal in shape and symmetrical about its axis.
After a green tire has been built, it is transported to the site at which the mold is located. The green tire is placed in the green tire holder where it stays until a mold becomes available. When a mold is available, an automatic loader lifts the tire vertically from the holder, travels horizontally in either a reciprocating or a swinging motion from a position above the green tire holder to a position above the mold, then lowers the green tire vertically into the mold. The path of the automatic loader is precisely predetermined. Whether the horizontal motion is reciprocating or arcuate, distance and direction from the loading position to the unloading position of the automatic loader are precisely determinable.
It is essential to center the tire exactly in the mold; otherwise, the tire will cure unevenly and a poor quality tire will result. To achieve this precise centering without the use of expensive and space-consuming position recognition mechanisms, the path of the automatic loader as it lifts the green tire must coincide precisely with the axis of the green tire holder, and the path of the automatic loader as it lowers the tire into the mold must coincide precisely with the axis of the mold, which is (or at least should be) vertical.
Most mounting brackets support a load in a position which is only approximately that desired. For more purposes, approximate positioning is quite satisfactory. The mounting bracket for supporting a green tire holder, on the other hand, must support the green tire holder so that the axis of the holder is in a precisely predetermined position for the reasons which are apparent from the foregoing description. As far as applicant is aware, no green tire holder mounting bracket presently available is capable of achieving such precise positioning.